Jenna Bush Hager's Daughter Unveils Some Of Her Mom's Embarrassing Secrets On-Air
Kids say the darndest things. This is why you should never give your kid a microphone while you're both on live television — a lesson TV host Jenna Bush Hager has learned the hard way. Hager's 9-year-old daughter Mila is on a break from school for the holidays, so she accompanied her mother to work at NBC's "Today With Hoda & Jenna," where Hager's co-host Hoda Kotb got the fourth-grader to drop a few embarrassing "truth bombs" about her mom. In fairness, Kotb was clearly trying to get the little girl to say something sweet (at first).
The segment started innocently enough, with Kotb asking little Mila about her new kitten (named Holly), who Mila plans to care for by giving her food, water, and love. Mila also told the NBC host that she will generously allow her new kitten to sleep in her little sister Poppy's room sometimes, just as long as Poppy is nice to her. Seems fair! Things only started to get slightly embarrassing for the former First Daughter when Kotb asked Mila about her mom's laugh.
Mila Hager blurted out some embarrassing anecdotes about Mom
Hoda Kotb seemed to be angling for a sweet soundbite from little Mila Hager on "Today With Hoda & Jenna," but Mila didn't seem inclined to say anything exactly nice about her mom. First, Mila told Kotb she is not just like her mother, she is, "better." We stan a confident queen. Trying again, Kotb said her favorite thing about Jenna Bush Hager is her laugh. "Yeah, one time she was laughing in our living room and she peed her pants," responded Mila. She added, looking at her mom, "And you changed your pajamas!" But Little Miss Family Secrets wasn't done yet. Before her mom could hustle her off the stage, Kotb prompted her for one more "truth bomb" and Mila obliged, saying, "she never wears underwear." As Hager is burying her face in her hands Mila added, "She's not wearing it right now! I saw her change!" Get this kid an agent!
Hager has talked about what a funny, precocious kid she has before. Describing a time (via People) when the 9-year-old was watching over her infant cousin Cora, Hager said Mila wrote her aunt Barbara a very professional letter recapping the day. "She's like 'Dear Auntie Barbara, Cora was a little fussy. She had the hiccups but don't worry I gave her water. And then I read her four books.'"
Clearly, there's no predicting what this kid is going to say.
Hoda Kotb previously noticed Jenna Bush Hager's outfit omission
When Mila Hager told "Today With Hoda & Jenna" viewers that her mom goes commando, it wasn't the first time that they'd heard this juicy tidbit of info — Hoda Kotb previously shared her shock upon making the discovery herself. Jenna defended her decision not to wear drawers by pointing out that it prevents unsightly panty lines. "I think it makes a more pretty silhouette," she explained to the "Today" audience. "I also think you don't have to pack as much."
Once the cat was out of the bag, the "Today" cast could not stop talking about it. Kotb later told Us Weekly what she really thought about her co-host's underwear exclusion, deeming it "gross." But Savannah Guthrie had a reason to be even more appalled by the revelation: She revealed that Jenna borrows clothing from her and returns it without washing it. "Yeah, no underwear. I found that out too late!" she said.
But Jenna is dedicated to her no-panty lines policy — so much so that she confessed to going without the undergarments when she dined with King Charles III the night before his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died. She defended her choice on "Watch What Happens Live" after describing the glamourous gown she wore for the occasion. "It was a beautiful tight dress," she said. "It would have showed!"
Don't worry, Mila Hager: Your mom embraces her embarrassing life moments
Jenna Bush Hager can't be too angry at Mila Hager for regaling "Today" viewers with embarrassing anecdotes about her mom. After all, Jenna does it herself. In 2017, "Today" even gave one of her stories its own graphic and title: "Spanx on a Plane." Jenna recounted how she suffered double the embarrassment when she boarded a flight with her dress tucked into the back of her Spanx. The woman taking her ticket informed her about the unfortunate situation, but after feeling the back of her dress, Hager didn't think anything was amiss. "I was like, 'Oh no, thank you ma'am. That's the way it's supposed to be,'" she recalled. But she paid the price for not listening when a second woman loudly informed everyone within earshot about Jenna's exposed Spanx. "I felt it, and I was like, 'One person, shame on them. Two people, shame on me!" Jenna's dad would be so proud of her for getting that aphorism right.
In her ongoing battle with undergarments, Hager won a small victory on "Today" when she got the founder of Spanx to confirm that they are not supposed to be worn with underwear, but her bra once failed her in a humiliating way. "During my first interview back at the Today Show after having Mila, I went too long without pumping and leaked milk through my shirt while interviewing Taye Diggs," she told The Awesome News.